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trails
The magazine of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC),
a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a nationwide
network of trails from former rail lines and connecting
corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.
PRESIDENT
Keith Laughlin
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Guy O. Williams, Chair; M. Katherine Kraft;
Gail Lipstein; John P. Rathbone; Chip Angle; Mike Cannon;
Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr.; Matthew Cohen; David Ingemie;
Rue Mapp; Frank Mulvey; Charles N. Marshall;
Doug Monieson; Tim Noel; T. Rowe Price; Tom Petri
MAGAZINE STAFF
Editor-in-Chief
Amy Kapp
Director of Communications
Elizabeth Striano
Staff Writers
Laura Stark, Katie Harris
Editorial Consultants
Wendy Jordan, Sharon Congdon
Design/Production
Manifest LLC
Art Director
Jeffrey Kibler
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was incorporated in 1985 as a
nonprofit charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code and is a publicly supported organization
as defined in Sections 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) and 509(a)(1). A copy
of the current financial statement, or annual report, and state
registration filed by RTC may be obtained by contacting RTC
at the address listed below. Donations to RTC are tax-deductible.
RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY
Headquarters
2121 Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20037-1213
Phone
202.331.9696
Email
Websites
railstotrails.org
TrailLink.com
Field and Regional offices:
Midwest
Yellow Springs, Ohio
614.837.6782,
Northeast
Camp Hill, Pa.
717.238.1717,
Western
Oakland, Calif.
510.992.4662,
Florida
Tallahassee, Fla.
866.202.9788,
Rails to Trails
is a benefit of membership in Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy. Regular membership is $18 a year, $5 of which
supports the magazine. In addition to the magazine, members
receive discounts on RTC gifts and publications.
Rails to Trails
is published four times a year—three in print, one digital—
by RTC, a nonprofit charitable organization. Copyright 2016
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. ISSN 1523-4126. Printed in U.S.A.
POSTMASTER
Send address changes to
Rails to Trails
, 2121
Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20037-1213.
A
A Wonder Drug
As with many years in the past, I began 2015 with a New Year’s resolution. Despite a
relatively active lifestyle, I had gained a couple of pounds per year for the last decade. I
discovered that this can happen when your age creeps up while your metabolism slows
down. So I resolved that I was going to walk 3 miles a day in 2015.
I stuck with my goal for a couple of months. But, as often happens, my resolve was
challenged. Sometimes I was traveling and couldn’t find the time. Or I was staying in
a motel on a major arterial road, and there was no safe place to walk. On other days, I
just didn’t feel like it.
This went on for months. I didn’t stick to my resolution, but I never abandoned it
either.
Then in May, it all changed. On a whim, I bought myself a Fitbit—a high-tech
pedometer that I wear on my wrist to track my daily steps and mile-
age. The device uploads the data to my smart phone and computer. I
set a new goal of walking 10,000 steps and 5 miles a day.
This was daunting because I hadn’t been able to consistently meet
my 3-mile-per-day goal. But by effortlessly logging my walking,
the device began to change my behavior. Instead of struggling to
find time to walk, I built it into my day. I now often walk 4 miles
a day as part of my round-trip commute to the office. I walk a mile
every day at lunch. I take a walk after dinner on many nights. It has
become such an ingrained habit that I
always
feel like it.
Since May, I have walked an average of 7 miles per day. I’ve lost
all of the weight that I gained in the last decade. And I have never
felt better. I can’t give all the credit to walking, because I engage in
other forms of physical activity and I’m now more careful with my
diet. But there is no doubt that regular walking has been the biggest
single factor in my weight loss.
If walking could be encapsulated in a pill, the pharmaceutical
industry would market it as a wonder drug in television commercials
featuring a long list of side effects that are all positive.
The U.S. Surgeon General recently reaffirmed the benefits of this universal activity
in his Call to Action on Walking, where he encouraged everyone to make it a part of
their daily life, and to get involved in building more walkable communities.
My personal experience with walking has made me even more aware of the impor-
tance of trails in our communities. In some places, trails connect residences to schools,
giving children the opportunity to safely walk to school. In others, they provide fami-
lies or senior citizens a safe and pleasant place to spend time together while building a
healthy walk into their daily routine.
My resolution for 2016? To walk an imaginary trail 2,000 miles long and maintain
my current weight. Go to railstotrails.org/walkwithkeith to join me on my adventure!
Happy Trails!
Keith Laughlin, President
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
BRIAN GERHARDSTEIN
Join RTC in the national conversation on walking: #outdoorwalks
